The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Last night I traveled down to my local dollar-fifty theatre to watch, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe." For weeks I had been viewing clips of this movie claiming that the special effects used were cutting edge and was quite intrigued as to what was exactly was so cutting edge about this movie.

Well, after about fifteen or so minutes into the movie I was very impressed by the vast assortment of detail being used. The character Mr. Thomas was especially clever. It seemed as though his bottom half, which was that of a hoofed animal, would change from costume to CGI in an excellent transition. Needless to say, those who created this movie have accomplished something grand in the world of human interaction with computer animation.

The fact that the majority of the actors in the movie were fresh faces did seem rather refreshing to my senses. However, it did take some getting used to. It may just be the maturity of British children, yet the four did act rather odd and out of place at times.

I wish I could say that this movie had no major flaws, yet that would be an understatement. As I watched the movie it became apparent that whoever edited this marvel did not preview their work afterward. Half-way through the movie I was baffled at how quickly the characters and story developed.

Truthfully the movie seemed to at one instance bombard me with characters and plot twists, only to move on even more quickly to another. For instance, in the massive battle sequence it seemed as though many segments had been cut. And before I knew it the battle had ended, the characters were now ten-years-older, and were all riding horses through the forest. This short cut-up style definitely took much away from the film.

I have pondered what I could compare this movie to and I think I may have something for those who have yet to see it to consider. Imagine if you were to take all three of the Lord of the Rings movies and cram them into 140 minutes. You would have dazzling special effects, amazing actors, and would need to tape your eyelids open to make sure you didn't miss any crucial part of the movie.